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College football 2019 season preview: Ranking the Top 100 players – SEC dominates

By Nicholas Ian Allen

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – OCTOBER 20: Rondale Moore #4 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs the ball and tries to fight off Jahsen Wint #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 20, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – OCTOBER 20: Rondale Moore #4 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs the ball and tries to fight off Jahsen Wint #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 20, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Though Minnesota was largely overlooked as a whole in 2018, Carter Coughlin was even overshadowed by former teammate and current pro Blake Cashman in the Golden Gophers linebacker corps. Nevertheless, with 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 16 run stuffs and four forced fumbles to his credit last year, Coughlin (14) actually posted three more production points than Cashman (11) last season.

Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault, Jr. led the Pac-12 with 86 receptions and ranked No. 4 in the conference with 1,011 receiving yards despite missing three games with an injury. Shenault burst onto the national scene in Week 1 with 211 receiving yards and a TD on 11 receptions (all more than he had in 12 games as a freshman in 2017) and guided the Buffs to a 5-0 start before he was sidelined. Also utilized as a Wildcat quarterback, Shenault added 115 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries.

Another relative unknown coming into the 2018 season, Oklahoma State wideout Tylan Wallace ranked second nationally with 1,491 receiving yards as a sophomore. Wallace ranked No. 8 among all FBS pass catchers with 12 receiving touchdowns and averaged an impressive 17.34 yards per catch.

Though he was often tested throughout the 2018 season, Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall was rarely beaten. Hall racked up an incredible 22 pass breakups last year – more than any player nationally – and picked off two passes, which gave Hall an FBS best 24 total passes defended. He also added 62 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive stat line than the one Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes produced as a junior in 2018. Willekes led the Big Ten with 20.5 tackles for loss and was also credited with 57.5 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, 22 run stuffs, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. He also hit the quarterback 23 times, which led all FBS defenders.

Wisconsin offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz is one of the rare players on our list to receive an Eye Test Override when calculating his VGR+ overall player rating. Had he been scored only on his 247Sports Composite rating coming out of high school (.8405), Biadasz and his 17 production points to date, Biadasz would have a 96.85 rating. However, as a Third-Team All-American selection and the highest rated center in the country in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus (and second-highest run-blocking grade at any offensive line position), Biadasz deserves a boost.

The Georgia Bulldogs have one of the most talented and deepest offensive lines in the country, and fans are optimistic the unit could be the best ever to suit up in red and black. Star left tackle Andrew Thomas anchors the unit. As a Second Team All-American selection by the Associated Press and All-SEC First Teamer in 2018 according to the league’s coaches, Thomas is deservedly considered one of the best offensive linemen in the country for 2019.

Alabama defensive lineman Raekwon Davis was surprisingly overshadowed by Quinnen Williams in 2018, but the massive 6-foot-7, 316-pound senior was still highly productive. Davis was credited with 55 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks and 10 run stuffs as a junior, and is poised for an All-American campaign this year.

Few true freshmen made as big of an immediate impact in 2018 as Purdue receiver Rondale Moore. The playmaker exploded onto the national scene with a school-record 313 all-purpose yards, as well as two touchdowns, in his collegiate debut. Moore finished with an FBS leading 114 receptions, which he turned into 1,258 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 213 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, as well as 744 return yards, which equates to 170.4 all-purpose yards per game (fourth most nationally). His 892 yards after the catch led the country. Only 51 FBS receivers totaled more receiving yards in total.

Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young took full advantage of the playing time increase he received following Nick Bosa’s season-ending injury. Young was a force to be reckoned with for the Buckeyes and was credited with nine QB hurries in addition to the 9.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and one forced fumble he recorded across 14 games.